Fittings for sewing moccasin type seams



1962 w. H. BERGERON 3,056,363

FITTINGS FOR SEWING MOCCASIN TYPE SEAMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 17,1960 vii Inve nzor Walier HBergeron By his Aftorney WWW.

1962 w. H. BERGERON 3,056,363

FITTINGS FOR SEWING MOCCASIN TYPE SEAMS Filed Nov. 17, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 3,056,363 FITTINGS FOR SEWINGMOCOASIN TYPE SEAMS Waiter II. liergeron, Northwood Narrows, N.H.,assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass-, acorporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 69,936 2 Claims.(Cl. 112-62) This invention relates to mechanism for securing parts inregistered relation, and more particularly to the pro vision of improvedmeans for forming and sewing a moccasin type seam, for instance in theupper of a shoe.

A variety of moccasin type seams are used in the construction offootwear. One attractive type, with which this invention is especiallyconcerned, is formed before the vamp is placed on its last and ischaracterized by the fact that it has no rough edge or flesh surfaceshowing in the finished product. It is commonly referred to as theTuscon seam. In preparing an upper for receiving such a seam, marginalportions of a vamp and its plug are preferably first skived and thensewed in edge-to-edge relation, the seam passing through the reducedmargins to hold them in contact and the flesh side of the parts beingexposed. Next, the parts having been dipped in softener if desired, theyare reversed about the seam and a second seam is inserted the stitchesof which extend through the vamp and plug in a row just beyond theirmeeting edges which are now concealed. It will be apparent that thisprocedure normally and desirably provides an upstanding two-fold orfour-ply moccasin rib of substantial thickness thereby resembling thatoften found in hand sewn moccasins. It is of course slow and costly toinsert the second seam manually, and until relatively recently it hasnot been possible to insert it by the use of known sewing machines.

In view of the foregoing it is a principal object of this invention toprovide in a sewing machine improved means whereby two complemental workpieces having their edges in register and inwardly turned may be guidedin a sure manner securely to be sewn to provide a uniform, double foldor four-ply rib. A further and more specific object of this invention isto provide, in a moccasin type shoe sewing machine, a presser tip ofnovel configuration by the use of which each of the adjacent wings,formed by an initial seam inserted in abutting marginal portions, iscentered, guided, and compacted in cooperation with a shaped worksupport so as to facilitate insertion of a second seam therebyconcealing the wings and affording neat and rapid formation of amoccasin type upper.

In accordance with these objects a main feature of the invention residesin the combination, in a moccasin type shoe sewing machine, of a worksupport having an aperture for an awl and needle and arranged to receiveadjacent shoulders formed by inwardly turned work piece edges held inregistered relation, the support being shaped with parallel channels foraccommodating the shoulders and a tongue arranged to ride in the creasetherebetween, and a presser cooperative with the support, the presserhaving a tip formed with spaced work compacting projections partiallydefining the operating paths of the needle and awl, and having a guideportion extending in the same direction as the projections and arrangedahead of the support, this guide portion being formed with fingersarranged progressively to receive the inwardly turned edges andcentralize their crease with respect to the tongue of the support byriding in the respective folds of the shoulders. Although other marginsecuring means such as adhesives may be used, as herein shown a moccasintop piece and vamp are secured in edge-to-edge relation by a first seamabout which the parts are then turned before being presented to thesubject machine. On thus being turned the inner wings or extrememarginal edge portions of the work pieces are to be concealed, leavingthe usually more attractive shoulders exposed. These shoulders arelongitudinally moved in the work support channels, one or more of thepresser tip projections acting to compress the material firmly betweenthe last formed stitch and the path of the awl during each stitchsetting pull of the moccasin seam thread to be inserted.

The above and other features of the invention will now be moreparticularly described in connection with an illustrative moccasin typeshoe sewing machine in which the invention is embodied, and withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation looking from the right and showing asmuch of a moccasin sewing machine as is necessary for an understandingof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail view on an enlarged scale and in side elevation of apresser embodied in the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the presser of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the presser shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with a piecebroken away and in cooperative relation to the work and work supportshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective of a portion of a vamp and moccasin plugin their initially registered relation;

FIG. 6 is a view in perspective of the vamp and plug in section asformed with a moccasin seam of the Tuscon type by the illustrativemachine;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the assembled moccasin upper formed withthe moccasin seam;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the presser; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the work support shown inFIGS. 1 and 4.

The invention, for purposes of illustration, is herein shown anddescribed as being applied to a sewing machine of the type disclosed as,for example, in United States Letters Patent 1,975,914, granted October9, 1934, and 2,399,159, granted April 30, 1946, both upon applicationsof Fred Ashworth. Accordingly, the machine is provided with conventionallockstitch forming devices comprising an awl 10 (FIG. 1), a curved hookneedle 12, a loop spreader 14, and a loop taker or shuttle 16. The partsto be secured by these devices may be in the form of a vamp V (FIGS.5-7) and a plug P which have initially been joined in register as by afirst seam S (FIGS. 5 and 6) and then turned about this scam prior tobeing presented to the subject machine as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 4 forthe insertion of a moccasin seam MS. Preferably the first seam S holdsthe inwardly turned, raw work piece edges in register, and the moccasinseam MS to be inserted beyond the internal folds and at the base of theridge forming shoulders will keep those edges protectively concealed.

For guiding and holding the work during insertion of the moccasin seamstitches, a bracket 18 (FIG. 1) aifixed to the machine frame has securedto an upper end a composite work support 20. The latter includes anupper part 22, (FIGS. 1 and 4), a lower part 24, and an intermediateshim or tongue 26 extending in the path of work feed and arranged toproject into the crease between the work shoulders. A screw 28 (FIGS. 1and 4) secures the Work support 20 in assembled condition. As shown inFIGS. 1, 4 and 9, work engaging surfaces of the parts 22 and 24,respectively, are angularly disposed and have their inner ends roundedto form an apex accommodating the work shoulders as they arelongitudinally fed. An elongated aperture 30 (-FIG. 4) in the worksupport extends through the work engaging surfaces in order to re ceivethe awl 1t and needle 12 transversely of the direction of feed.

For cooperating with the work support 26 in properly guiding the workpieces for receiving the awl and needle,

aoeaaes a presser 32 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of novel configuration is provided.This presser, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1, is actuated formovement toward and from the work support by mechanism not herein shownbut corresponding to that fully disclosed in the above-mentioned PatentNo. 1,975,914. To this end the presser 32 is fixed by screws 34, 34(FIG. 1) to the upper end of a horn 36 corresponding to the pivotal horn4t) cited in that patent.

The work engaging tip of the presser 32 is formed with spaced recesses38 (FIGS. 3 and 4) partially defining the awl and needle paths, andthree projections 42 alined in the direction of work feed for compactingthe inwardly turned work edges against the work support. In addition,and of special importance to achieving proper guidance and control ofthe work portions about to receive the moccasin seam MS, the presser isfurther provided with an integral, advance guide portion 44 formed withspaced fingers 46, 46 (FIGS. 2 3 and 4). The fingers 46 extend in thesame direction as the projections 42 but preferably are somewhat longerto overlap the lead face of the support 2i and are disposed one oneither side of the alined projections 42, i.e. spaced heightwisethereof, so as to engage the outer sides of the abutting, reduced,inwardly turned marginal wings. The fingers engage the work ahead of thework support as shown in FIG. 4, thus causing the inwardly turned edgeportions and their shoulders to pass progressively over a curved pathand into the piercing and stitching zone. Accordingly, the fingers 46act by riding respectively in the folds of the vamp and plug to guidethe crease between said shoulders for reception of the tongue 26.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a neat moccasin type seam MS is enabled bythis invention to be rapidly and tightly sewed in uniform fashion, onlythe rounded and finished looking shoulders being exposed in the product,and the initial holding seam being protected within a firm, upstandingmoccasin ridge. 'It will be appreciated that for different marginalthicknesses of stock the presser 32 may be changed in the machine foranother presser having an appropriate spacing of its fingers 46, andmoreover the recess between them may be of modified depth to assure amoccasin ridge of precisely the desired crown height.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe sewing machine having stitch forming means including an awland needle, cooperative devices for guiding the margins of a pair ofcomplemental work pieces the adjacent edges of which have been inwardlyturned thereafter to be progressively secured by said means in amoccasin type seam, one of said devices comprising a work support formedwith a channel extending in the direction of Work feed and beingprovided with a tongue arranged and adapted to lie in a crease of saidseam, and the other of said devices constituting a presser having alinedprojections spaced and adapted to compact said edges in the channeladjacent to the operating paths of the awl and needle, said presserhaving a portion provided with a pair of fingers arranged one on eitherside of said projections to receive the inwardly turned edges ahead ofthe work support whereby the crease is guided toward the tongue.

2. In a moccasin type shoe sewing machine having stitch forming meansincluding an awl and a needle, the combination of a work support formedwith angularly disposed work engaging surfaces and a rounded apexextending in the direction of work feed, the support being slotted toreceive the awl and needle transversely of said direction for operationupon work pieces the edges of which have been folded inwardly to be heldin registered abutting relation, and a presser cooperative with saidsupport to compact and guide the work piece portions in said apex asthey are fed with respect to the awl and needle, said presser having anadvance guide portion for engaging the work piece ahead of the support,this guide portion comprising fingers overlapping the lead face of thesupport and spaced with respect to the apex and each other to receivesaid edges and ride in the respective folds of the Work pieces.

